1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wash station devices which are particularly suited for industrial applications and, more particularly, to a multifunctional and transportable wash station which is capable of being easily accessed by existing fluid lines within an industrial facility.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Employee wash stations which are particularly suited for commercial and industrial use are well known in the art. Such stations are typically found in communal wash areas which are usually located close to locker rooms or employee changing areas within a facility. A common type of hand/arm wash station known in the art utilizes a large circular shaped and open interior basin with a central and upwardly extending faucet which is capable of issuing water in a plurality of discrete streams. Users of the wash station stand around its outer circumference and are able to use either a detergent or liquid supplied soap in combination with selected streams of the issuing water.
Additional examples of hand was stations are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,258, issued to Shaw, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,118, issued to Cole et al. Both Shaw and Cole teach a variation of a wash station with sink and faucet and hand drying means. In the case of Shaw, an infrared sensor senses the presence of a user and activates the connected water source as well as an electrically operated roll towel for permitting the user to dry his/her hands. Cole likewise teaches infrared sensing technology with a first such sensor being activated for issuing both soap and running water for specified time intervals and a second sensor for activating an electric hot-air dryer positioned overhead the faucet and sink. A shortcoming of the prior art devices such as discussed above is that they are fairly limited in most instances to hand wash applications and specific water inlet and drainage requirements require that the devices be located in specified areas only.